Shinya Aoki will drop to Featherweight regardless of outcome at ONE FC 8

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Shinya Aoki will drop to Featherweight regardless of outcome at ONE FC 8

Japanese MMA star, Shinya Aoki will be dropping down to 145 lbs regardless if he wins or loses against Kotetsu Boku at ONE FC 8 this Friday.

By Anton Tabuena on Apr 3 2013, 9:08a

DREAM Champion Shinya Aoki has been a staple at the lightweight rankings for quite some time now, but it looks like he is already planning to make an even bigger impact on a different division. Just less than 48 hours before his lightweight championship bout against Kotetsu Boku this Friday, the submission specialist has told BloodyElbow.com that he will be dropping down to featherweight regardless of the outcome at ONE FC 8.

"I will go to 145 lbs. I want to win all the world titles at featherweight," Aoki tells us as he talked about his plans after this upcoming bout.

Evolve MMA coaches told us just two days before the weigh-in that the Japanese standout weighed in at 71.5 kg for his lightweight bout, which meant he wouldn't even need to cut much water weight to make tomorrow's 70 kg limit.

"Heath, Shinya and I have talked about this for the last year or so, and all three of us have decided that it is best for Shinya's future," said Chatri Sityodtong, the founder and one of the head coaches at Evolve MMA, "He can easily make 145. He is too small to be a lightweight, and he will be a huge featherweight. His body type at 145 is akin to Jon Jones with a huge wingspan and reach."

Aoki is listed at 5-foot-11, and if he cleanly drops to featherweight, he could be one of the bigger and stronger guys in the division, an advantage that his coaches felt that he hasn't for quite some time now. The move also makes sense for the team as it creates a clearer path to the title for Shinya's other 155 lb teammates such as Zorobabel Moreira and Eddie Ng.

The "Master of Flying Submissions" will fight for the promotion's lightweight crown this Friday, and win or lose, it looks like he will also be gunning for that featherweight crown which will be defended at ONE FC 9 next month.

Sorry, but any news about Aoki is irrelevant.
While he is a great mixed martial artist, he has shown no interest in fighting in North America. He is 1-2 in N.A., fighting better competition than he is used in Japan. While he claims that OneFC has some of the best talent in the world, it is mostly comprised of new guys, who he would tear up with his skills and experience. Deep down he knows he can't survive inside the cage and beat the competition that the UFC, BFC has to offer.

Sorry, but any news about Aoki is irrelevant.
While he is a great mixed martial artist, he has shown no interest in fighting in North America. He is 1-2 in N.A., fighting better competition than he is used in Japan. While he claims that OneFC has some of the best talent in the world, it is mostly comprised of new guys, who he would tear up with his skills and experience. Deep down he knows he can't survive inside the cage and beat the competition that the UFC, BFC has to offer.

Really? The UFC and BFC aren't the only orgs that matter simply because they are American. One FC is clearly trying to be competition, which is a good thing for MMA.

I'm not so sure. I could see him giving grapplers like Guida and Lentz some trouble as well as guys like Siver and Jung. People like to argue that he's just a grappler, but he's still a young guy and he has tons of time to improve his striking.

If Aoki can make weight and actually commit to fighting in the UFC I have him beating Lentz, Guida, Siver, Koch, Do Bronx, Elkins, Hioki and Cub...

Only guys I see giving him trouble and potentially stomping him are Lamas, Zombie, Frankie, Pettis and of course, Aldo.

^^ this. I agree 100%.

Cub vs Aoki would be a great first fight for Aoki. In my humble opinion, Cub poses some serious threats to Aoki. However if Aoki can impose his will and fight his fight, Cub likely gets submitted and all his momentum becomes Aoki's.

I personally don't see Aoki signing with UFC since he has stated his preference is to fight in Asia. As long as One FC pays him enough to live a comfortable life and support his family, he isn't going anywhere (unless he's a liar lol).

"I don't want them to like me, because when I'm in the ring, punches fly to the face. It is not a tenderness time. I am not falling in love. And he knows that when the fight starts I kick faces."
"I think you should be able to kick in the head, it’s a fun thing to do."

Really? The UFC and BFC aren't the only orgs that matter simply because they are American. One FC is clearly trying to be competition, which is a good thing for MMA.

There will be decent competition for him at One FC.

Close-minded post, keyboard warrior.

I am not disregarding OneFC as a promotion. They have lots of young, up and coming talent, more so of Far east Asian descent. They are opening the doors for Malaysian, Indonesian, Mongolian, Thai, Singapore talent, that the UFC just can't do.

They do also employ familiar names from the Dream promotion, and some UFC/Bellator/SF guys.

My point was that Aoki is a highly skilled, experienced fighter, who was for a long time a Top 10 LW. He surpasses anything these young fighters can offer him this early in their careers. He should be honing his skills against established, top LW/FW fighters. I get that being Patriotic is very important to him in staying in Japan, but part of me believes he does not want to fight in N.A. due to his lack of success.